Wondering and random thoughts from my daily meditations and from life.

Posts tagged ‘meditating’

On top of the news of the Supreme Court passing the law to give all GLBTindividuals the right to marry, my wife and I were texting this morning about a statue that is downtown it is at one of our local bus stops, near a church, the statue titled; “Homeless Jesus”. It is a figure of a person curled up on a bench with a blanket over him and all you can see is his hands holding the blanket and his feet sticking out. His hands and feet both have holes in them.

It had me wondering: has the Bible story of Jesus been told in true context and not translated it to mean to themselves.

Jesus was a homeless man partly by choice do to traveling and speaking the world of god, but also because that when he did seek shelter, many times he would be turned away by those who did not believe and saw him as nothing more than a beggar.

Those who valued their THINGS and their money over humanity instead of helping another human being in need, choose to turn a blind eye on who this man at their door was, and saw just a dirty beggar instead of God’s Son who was here walking among his people preaching his father’s word, studying to reach enlightenment himself. For he said many times; “I will live and walk among my people” So, who were his people? The rich that valued their THINGS and money, that turned away those in need? Or those who were poor and welcomed others with open arms, was welling to share what they had even if it wasn’t much?

I am not saying all the poor and none of the reach were his people. No – there were some rich who gave to the poor and welcomed Jesus into their homes, let him rest, eat, and bath. These people received the same blessings that those who he lived and walked among. But, remember Jesus said in Matthew 19:24; “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

I do not consider myself Christian but I think no matter who you are, to be “his people”, it does not matter where you are in life, what does matter is; are you willing to accept and love all man kind, no matter who they are, how much money they have, what race they are, what religion they are, or who they love.

Since I study religions and consider myself spiritual and more Buddhist then any other religion, consider this: As Buddha choose to travel an forsake all worldly goods in search of enlightenment, to preach life’s lessons. So did Jesus, choose to travel and forsake all worldly goods in search of enlightenment, and to preach his father’s word/ life’s lessons. Because both choose to travel and forsake all worldly goods, it made both homeless. Both, were holy men but were forsaken by some, yet both denied that they were God, and said they were just prophets seeking enlightenment and preaching life lessons. However; Jesus said he was preaching the word of his father, the one true God: While the study of Buddhism does not believe in a supreme creator.

The realization that he, like anyone else, could be subject to different forms of human suffering drove Siddhartha into a personal crisis. By the time he was 29, he abandoned his home and began to live as a homeless ascetic and five followers joined Buddha on his journey, much as Jesus had his prophets who followed him. Buddha means; as a person who has awakened from the deep sleep of ignorance. The Buddha, preached about embracing sympathy and a deep concern for the poor and the oppressed. He preached in favour of equality of all men and opposed inequalities and abuses of the caste system.

Buddhism has eightfold path which we follow while Christians have 10 comments they follow. The eightfold path leads to extinction of suffering and impersonality of all beings, it leads to enlightenment within one’s spirit. These are the lessons that Buddha taught, compared to the lessons’ Jesus taught on his travels.

I am not saying one is better then the other, I am not, as I stated above I study religions, myself I think they are both equally important and true. For if both religious leaders teach peace, compassion, acceptance and shows that it is the road to enlightenment is to show these traits in ourselves and in humanity, how can these lessons be wrong, how can these religions be wrong?

.***Disclaimer: First I want to announce I am posting for the first time from my smart; dumb phone….

SO- Let’s give this a go…

I was recently asked if I was given any wish, at all, what wish would that wish be?

My answer is the same as it always has been to that question: I would wish for enough money to pay off my wife and my bills, my family and close friends bills and to make sure my family had homes to live in and cars to drive. Plus, these days I also would add to that enough to make sure I had enough to cover my dream computer and cameras, (film and digital), along with the programs to develop digital and darkroom for film.

I have always thought this was a bit of a selfish wish myself. Wish for money for my family, my friends, and myself. When there so many others out there in need and in worse situations.

I mean; I know according to surveys given the top five wishing categories dealt with People, Money, Spirituality, Skills, and Family.

But, I always feel I should be asking for world hunger to end or world peace. Yet, I know in my heart that these things are not things that can be wished away. For life is a tug a war, a yin and yang. We need the dark with the light and the bad with the good or we would never know how to appreciate the light or the good.

After stating my wish to the person who asked me, he remarked will that was a gracious wish.

I thanked him and stated if I was granted a second wish, I would wish for others who were ill and suffering. That is when he stated: “That is very humble of you.”

This kinda took me aback for a few moments. Why is it a humble and gracious thing to care for humankind? To me it should be second nature to put others before thyself. Isn’t that what every spiritual belief in the world teaches us? ”

This is the Golden Rule which each of us are taught in kindergarden, and it has roots in a wide range of world cultures. Has been for years a standard way that different cultures use to resolve conflicts. It has a long history, and a great number of prominent religious figures and philosophers.

The Golden Rule “do onto others as you would have done to you”, appears prominently in many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and the rest of the world’s major religions .

So, if all the world religions teach this then why is it such a humbleing thought? Why isn’t it second nature?